Cheerful Ghost Radio

Yes. Some smaller movies that are free to experiment with genre and don’t have to be these huge productions.

And some new characters/events.

Yeah there's no way that's a legit rumor. I think it's wishful thinking.

Wow I’m two degrees of separation from JJ. Thanks Will, I feel special now.

I don't think IM3 is terrible by a long shot. I think at worst the MCU films have been ok and mostly fun if forgettable. I put IM3, Thor 2, and Hulk in that category.

I don’t even remember Pepper being a badass fireflower superhero. Kinda similar to our Thor 2 discussion, I literally remember no plot from that one.

I remember like 50 iron man suits maybe preventing some destruction? That’s all I got.

FWIW I remember thinking it was better than Iron Man 2, but the second one stuck with me pretty well with the same number of viewings.

And like last time, I apologize for my sick-sounding self. We recorded this one before the Solo review and you can kinda hear my voice breaking down in real time, so that's exciting.

I’ll buy your NES Classic ;)

Worth a shot!

Yep, thanks Jon. I updated the post with that warning as well.

And as an aside, sorry for my sick-sounding self. I must have gotten whatever Tim had. From across the country.

They’d have to retcon Boba dying in RotJ for that to work. But I could get behind someone finding his armor near the sarlaac pit and taking over his name and contributing his legacy. That would be awesome.

*continuing

Unless he managed to take off his armor while inside the sarlaac and escape, he’s dead. Jaws eventually dug into the pit and killed the sarlaac and took a lot of stuff from its stomach, including that armor.

That’s according to Aftermath, and LucasFilm’s new canon policy is there’s only one canon, no levels of canon, and every story decision is approved based on whether it violates anything previously done.

So they have some wiggle room for Boba surviving (like a suuuuuper low chance) but he wouldn’t have the armor. Or there would need to be some crazy exposition for it to work.

Hahaha nah, it’s hard to keep up with all of it. My wife has done a better job of it than I have.

But yeah it’s been covered just by the armor moving around a bit. But I mean technically there’s still no body. Probably LucasFilm being coy with us.

I already did: https://starwars.wikia.com

;)

I'm really not sure where I'd put Solo in terms of better or worse than Rogue One. Rogue One was SO good in my opinion but I do get the issues people had with it.

I would totally go to that and try to avoid all spoilers. I would want to experience the train wreck

I meant to post that here last night Will. I love how he just didn't know who was going to fill that role, but Jonathan Kasdan wrote it so that it would lean toward Maul.

There's something that Jon and I talked about in the episode that I've been thinking about. Jon thought it was out of character for Han to give Enfys the loot instead of taking it himself. I mostly agreed but upon further thought, I think it makes sense. And my wife thought this was too obvious to even talk about it so... maybe we're slow :D

So in A New Hope, Han is only in it for the money, until he shows up to help in the crucial moment of the Death Star battle to help.

In Empire, we aren't entirely sure what's happened in the intervening years but Han is about to leave to save his own ass until he finds out Luke is in trouble and he risks his life to save Luke.

Han isn't a rogue scoundrel who only looks out for himself, even in the beginning of when we knew him. He's a good person who had terrible experiences and has made himself INTO a rogue scoundrel to get by. But when it comes down to it he does what's right.

Hans, the German smuggler.

;)

I would be somewhere in the middle of cool and horrible on this one. I kinda always thought of Shyriiwook as something that non-Wookiees couldn't speak, just like how humans can't purr. We can kinda approximate it but we don't have the right throat structure for it. Apparently, though, according to a canon reference book it's possible, just really hard on the throat if you aren't a Wookiee.

It was still cheesy to see it though.

If you've heard the episode, Jon and I really liked it, and my opinion has stayed pretty consistent since things have gelled in my mind over the last week. My wife and I were planning on a second watch this past Monday but we both got some kind of virus that's worse than a cold. Bubonic chest cold? Yeah Bubonic chest cold.

I've never seen a movie where every single thing worked for me though, and maybe only one or two where nothing worked for me. And I have a spectrum of gripes. Nothing in Solo was really problematic for me, just minor nits. Hearing Shyriiwook spoken by a human was one of those nits but it did get a chuckle out of me if I'm honest. It just seemed out of place.

But yeah I plan on seeing it again at least once before it gets out of theaters and I can't wait for the home release.

Will, what does your ranking list look like? We talked about that a bit in the last episode comments

I like many things about the prequels. The only one that I would say I struggle to like is AotC. But there’s a lot of crap in there.

Greg I realized that you weren’t in the discussion on the last episode either, care to share your list?

I posted my (updated) list, along with Katie’s and my friend Hari’s (because he has a different take on it than I might, having grown up with the prequels), here:

https://cheerfulghost.com/Travis/posts/3712/cheerful-ghost-radio-episode-24-the-killing-snoke

And of course listen for Jon’s and Tim’s.

I still don’t know where I’d put Solo.

My list has changed since we did this. A New Hope has jumped up a spot, and I’d now put Return of the Jedi as tied with the one I originally had above it.

What I have determined is that I can't come up with a list. I was about to post it as you asked, but then I started thinking about it again. I then complicated matters by asking my wife her list and we made hers, while talking about the merits of them all, and I may have changed my list again. I have at least moved RotJ back to its original place.

There's legitimately no Star Wars movie I don't like. Attack of the Clones definitely tests that. There are so many great things in each of the prequels, they just get bogged down by the bad stuff. Obi-Wan and Palpatine are always a delight, especially Palps. His machinations to take power are the most interesting bits of at least the first two.

And I also have problems with literally all of them. There are some groan-worthy moments in all of them. Tosche station, ewoks, gungans, "I'm holding for general Hugs." But people take them too seriously. I'm guilty of that too.

Anyway, my list. I had to break this into three comments because I got long in the tooth here.

1. Empire Strikes Back: Sooo good. It's just nearly the perfect Star Wars film for me. The groan-worthy moments are few and far between, the weight of every decision is palpable, and we first meed Yoda and learn about the mystical parts of the force.


2. A New Hope + The Last Jedi: I initially had The Last Jedi above A New Hope, but I tie them now. I wouldn't have A New Hope nearly this high if it weren't for the emotional attachment and its impact and importance, if I'm being honest, because it's a bit rough in places, but so perfectly edited and the last half is just pure joy. The Last Jedi is up here because, while there are issues, some big ones even, the major choices made worked so well for me. I understand why those choices didn't work for some people but they really do for me.


3. Rogue One: A major part of why I like this one so much is its effect on the original trilogy. Vader never seemed as threatening as he does in this, and it gives the rebellion more personality. We see some darkness in the rebels that we've never seen otherwise. Jyn's journey is so compelling. I may actually put this higher in the list but I CAN'T KEEP CHANGING IT. Come on Travis, keep it together.

This should start with 4, but since I had to break it into another comment I can't do that.

1. The Force Awakens: JJ brought the franchise back in a major way. It was a delight to be back in the universe again, and the plot was compelling, the new characters had depth, and it ended with me wanting more. It's been knocked down a peg or two over the last couple of years but I still really like it.


2. Revenge of the Sith: I know what you're thinking. I haven't gotten Return of the Jedi in yet and I'm talking about the prequels? Yeah I am. I really like this movie. The opening scene showed that the tone of the OT had returned. The humor worked very well. Anakin's internal conflict was painful to watch (for the right reasons) and his emotional performance from when he decides to join Sheev to the end of the movie is some of my favorite Star Wars content ever. Obi-Wan's "You were my brother" speech at the end still gives me a lump in my throat. Honestly if not for the cheesy UNLIMITED POOOWWWAAAAAHHH scene I might bump this one up a notch.


3. Return of the Jedi: I feel like I have to say this since I put a prequel above it: I don't dislike this movie, not at all. It's very good. But it felt like a bit of a letdown after Empire and the scenes on the moon of Endor haven't aged well with me. There was a time when I would have put this in the number two spot but I dunno. I still watch it regularly and will continue to do so. The scenes with Luke's family reunion in the Death Star still give me chills.


4. The Phantom Menace: I.... kinda.... like this. Kinda. There's a lot of good stuff in there but so much Jar Jar and "Yipeee!" and "That's a good trick!" If you watch the De-Cheesed version of this on Youtube it's so much better and ... well, less cheesy.


5. Attack of the Clones: I love Obi-Wan's search for the missing planet, the fight with Jango, the battle of Genonosis... there's stuff to love here. But the borderline-or-maybe-not-even-borderline abusive relationship and the suuuuuper cringy dialogue in some places weigh it all the way down.

Katie didn't grow up with these movies so she didn't have any emotional attachment to them. She'd seen them all but The Force Awakens made her go back and reevaluate them so she has a more recent view of them all.

1. Empire Strikes Back + The Last Jedi: Apparently Katie likes the middle of trilogies. Except Clones. She prefers these because they have the weightiest choices that put characters into tough spots with real consequences. Plus they both go into the mystical nature of the force and explain a lot about that.


2. Rogue One: This one is just a badass movie but it also has a lot of those tough choices mentioned above. And in this one you really see the consequences of those choices. They all freakin' die! And the Vader scene, right?


3. Revenge of the Sith: Basically read my rundown above but she likes it more than me!


4. The Force Awakens: From here down it's basically "which one do I have the most fun watching?" And this one got her way into Star Wars (maybe more than me... yeah definitely more than me) so this one has the nostalgic connection for her.


5. A New Hope: Would be higher if not for the whiny protagonist. It makes sense and it was an intentional choice but before getting off Tattooine she struggles a bit with this one.


6. Return of the Jedi: It's good but it's a little too "Yay, happy ending!" and feels too simplistic after Empire, and she says she may strain her disbelief watching teddy bears defeat the Empire.


7. The Phantom Menace: The thirty minutes that aren't painful are really, really good. The Darth Maul fight is amazing, with great music, and tells you a lot about the characters.


8. Attack of the Clones: This one feels like it's more about the relationship between Padme and Anakin than anything else, and it has the most abusive relationship in any movie that isn't explicitly about abusive relationships. It also makes her very sad for Natalie Portman.

I asked a friend about this who grew up during the prequel era. He was in third grade when Revenge of the Sith came out and he makes me feel like an old man. Here's his list.

Empire Strikes Back
Rogue One
A New Hope
Return of the Jedi
Force Awakens
Revenge of the Sith
The Last Jedi
Attack of the Clones
The Phantom Menace

Adam, same here, I didn't watch them as a kid either really. I saw them on USA or TBS or whatever but got bored, mostly because I'd never start at the beginning.

I got way into them during the re-release in the 90s. I was 15 I guess when A New Hope released. It was fine. When Empire re-released I was in. Went and bought a Yoda poster, couldn't wait for Jedi. I watched all the prequels on opening night and thought they were all fine on first watch but they kinda fell apart.

The Force Awakens made me remember being 15 and how I fell in love with them and got me back into it, and more than ever.

We definitely know where their stories eventually go but there’s always more context to provide. We basically knew how Rogue One would end but that film informed a few details about A New Hope that really elevated it for me. I’m hoping for the same thing with Solo, or if not that, then a fun romp with some of our favorite characters.

I kinda like the balance of having new stuff alternating with these anthology films that fill in context. We know that Rian Johnson has a trilogy coming and D&D from Game of Thrones have a series (never confirmed as a trilogy or anything so we don’t know how long it will be), and that both of these will be unexplored parts of the universe. As long as the fan service keeps getting balanced with new stuff I’m happy with it.

Honestly I have been thinking that Solo wouldn’t do as well as the others ever since the final release date was announced. Not only is it only a few months since the last Star Wars, people have just seen Infinity War and Deadpool 2. It’s a busy time for big, nerdy action. I kinda wish they had just pushed the standard release date to December. Even spacing and no summer blockbusters to compete against.

Yes, I also highly recommend those. We’ve already talked about Infinity War on CG Radio, but keep an ear out for our Deadpool 2 episode soon!

I finally hooked up my NES Classic and even having just played it last month, this is the first game I fired up.

<3 Punch Out

And then Super Mario Bros. which took me an embarrassing 9 minutes to beat. I'm rusty :D

I feel your pain with Super C. Wow that game is hard.

And yes I totally warped for that time :D

I need to do a no-warp run.

Honestly I struggle to get into the first. That kind of grueling difficulty puts me off. It’s fun but a health bar instead of dying to one hit would make it so much more fun.

I am as into season 2 of Legion as I was in the first season. Maybe not as much for Westworld but I kinda feel like it’s building to something and may just have a slower burn.

I just added a spoiler warning to the post. Feel free to spoil away!

I like the theory you mention Will. I could absolutely imagine that happening, and it would be a good out for Tony to pass the torch and still leave it open for guest appearances.

In the comics Bucky took over as Cap for a while, maybe until a reboot? I’d imagine they could easily do that as long as Bucky sticks around. And if he wants to come back on 20 years, we have a few characters and devices that can literally rewrite reality so there are plenty of options.

Nobody is ever really dead in comics and the same probably holds true for comic movies. But they may be replaced with different actors when they come back.

I have many problems with The Flash, especially this season, but Harrison Wells is always a delight.

We are going to watch that John Mulaney special today. I don’t know much about him honestly but he did one of my favorite stand up bits ever:

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/plvv4v/comedy-central-presents-what-s-new--pussycat-

We watched John Mulaney’s new special and adored it. I am right there with you, Adam, I’d put him in my top tier of comedians. I can absolutely understand how people might not like his style though.

We also watched this year’s Hilarity for Charity and it was mostly ok the whole way through with a few highlights. It took a while though. The sketches fell very flat for me, especially the prolonged 10 minute dick joke at the start. The only sketch that worked for me was Jeff Goldblum’s but I mean... it’s Goldblum. I’d be shocked if it didn’t work. Mulaney was my favorite part by a long shot. I’m normally kinda hot and cold on Sarah Silverman but I loved her bit. And Tiffany Haddish is funny just by existing.

I'm necroing this post because Legion just finished up and we're in the home stretch of Westworld. I think the first part of Westworld was a bit of a slump to get the new plot moving but boy has it ever picked up.

Legion.... eeeehhhhhhhh I'm mixed on it. It was ok, but I felt like the first season had the perfect plot-to-weird balance and this season slipped further into weird at the expense of story. The finale left me wanting more but a little disappointed in some lazy writing choices.

I’m interested in hearing your thoughts when you get done with it.

There are three things I don't like about the ending and I'll be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers.

1. That one person who was present at the end who reeeeeally shouldn't be out and about.

2. It's just a bit tropey. There's a good guy who is a bad guy... or is he? Yes, he is... ooooooor is heeeee?

3. There was a bit of a lack of tact in the writing for what he did to Sid.

1 and 2 at least could be machinations of a certain character influencing people. A lot of how I feel about the finale will depend on how next season tackles it.

BUT overall I definitely agree with you about it and yeah, that initial fight scene was some of the best trippy stuff we've seen!